Single action selection of data elements

ABSTRACT

Various aspects and attributes of a single-click list selection user interface are described herein. A user can toggle the list inclusion status of any item by single clicking on the item in a selection pane of the user interface. When the user single-clicks a storage container item, the selection pane navigates to and displays items in the selected storage container. In order to prevent inadvertent selections, the user interface may provide graphical feedback indicating the inclusion status of an item prior to the user single clicking that item, e.g., responsive to mouse hover over that item. The user interface may further include a list pane which displays all items presently included in the list, regardless of each item&#39;s original storage container.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/732,906, filed on Jun. 8, 2015, titled “SINGLE ACTION SELECTION OFDATA ELEMENTS,” which is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.11/220,725, filed on Sep. 8, 2005, titled “SINGLE ACTION SELECTION OFDATA ELEMENTS.” The entirety of the aforementioned applications areincorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

Most computer user interfaces allow a user to provide input using akeyboard as well as a secondary input device, such as a mouse ortrackball. The secondary input device is typically used for moving acursor or pointer on a display screen, and providing input in the formof selection of elements displayed on the display screen at the locationof the cursor/pointer. Many secondary input devices have multipleinputs, e.g., multiple buttons, scroll wheels, fingerprint scanner, andthe like. A user's interaction with elements on the display screen maybe affected based on which of the multiple inputs the user actuates.

In addition, some computer systems differentiate between single-clickingand double-clicking display elements, and perform different actions as aresult. For example, many computer systems highlight an item when a usersingle-clicks on an item displayed on the display screen, and launch anitem when the user double-clicks the item displayed on the displayscreen. The same computer systems may also navigate menus based onsingle-click selections of menu elements, but require double clickingwhen selecting elements in other areas of the user interface. Inaddition, in order for a double-click event to be effective, the usermust double-click the input device within a certain amount of time,which is often difficult for some users (e.g., elderly or handicappedindividuals).

The above problems result in users being confused by computer userinterfaces, making it difficult for all users to succeed at buildinglists of items in an effective user interface, and having problemsmanipulating the user interface to accomplish the user's goal, i.e.,build a list of a desired set of elements. Another problem that affectsthe user experience is that users are not able to see the list as it isbeing built and being easily able to modify the list (e.g., by adding orremoving items). Another problem is that the actual user interfacemechanism is difficult for users to manipulate physically, e.g., byhaving to select a small checkbox, drag and drop items directly, orother secondary mechanisms.

Thus, it would be an advancement in the art to provide a more simplisticuser interface through which a user could build a list of a desired setof items with less difficulty and complexity than previously provided.

SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary of the invention in order toprovide a basic understanding of some aspects of the invention. Thissummary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is notintended to identify key or critical elements of the invention or todelineate the scope of the invention. The following summary merelypresents some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as aprelude to the more detailed description provided below.

To overcome limitations in the prior art described above, and toovercome other limitations that will be apparent upon reading andunderstanding the present specification, one or more aspects of thepresent invention may be directed to a user interface, computer readablemedia, and/or a method of data navigation and item selection using asingle-click selection scheme. A user interface displayed on a displayscreen may include a selection pane for displaying selectable itemscorresponding to a first storage location, and further include a listpane for displaying discrete items included within a list. Theselectable items include at least one storage location item and at leastone discrete item, wherein each storage location item corresponds to astorage location, and wherein each discrete item is capable of beingincluded in the list. When a user single-clicks on a first discreteitem, the status of the first discrete item is toggled with respect toinclusion in the list. When a user single-clicks on a first storagelocation item, the selection pane navigates to a storage locationcorresponding to the first storage location item, and displays any itemsstored in the first storage location.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete understanding of aspects of the present invention andthe advantages thereof may be acquired by referring to the followingdescription in consideration of the accompanying drawings, in which likereference numbers indicate like features, and wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a sample operating environment in which one or moreillustrative aspects described herein may be implemented.

FIG. 2 illustrates a user interface flow diagram according to one ormore illustrative aspects described herein.

FIG. 3 illustrates a user interface according to one or moreillustrative aspects described herein.

FIG. 4 illustrates another user interface according to one or moreillustrative aspects described herein.

FIG. 5 illustrates another user interface according to one or moreillustrative aspects described herein.

FIG. 6 illustrates another user interface according to one or moreillustrative aspects described herein.

FIG. 7 illustrates another user interface according to one or moreillustrative aspects described herein.

FIG. 8 illustrates a flowchart for a method of editing list contentsaccording to one or more illustrative aspects described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description of various illustrative aspects, referenceis made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and inwhich is shown by way of illustration various embodiments in which theinvention may be practiced. It is to be understood that otherembodiments may be utilized and structural and functional modificationsmay be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Illustrative Operating Environment

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a suitable computing environment 100 inwhich the invention may be implemented. The computing environment 100 isonly one example of a suitable computing environment and is not intendedto suggest any limitation as to the scope of use or functionality of theinvention. Neither should the computing environment 100 be interpretedas having any dependency or requirement relating to any one orcombination of components illustrated in the exemplary operatingenvironment 100.

The invention is operational with numerous other general purpose orspecial purpose computing system environments or configurations.Examples of well known computing systems, environments, and/orconfigurations that may be suitable for use with the invention include,but are not limited to, personal computers; server computers; portableand hand-held devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), tabletPCs or laptop PCs; multiprocessor systems; microprocessor-based systems;set top boxes; programmable consumer electronics; network PCs;minicomputers; mainframe computers; game consoles; distributed computingenvironments that include any of the above systems or devices; and thelike.

The invention may be described in the general context ofcomputer-executable instructions, such as program modules, beingexecuted by a computer. Generally, program modules include routines,programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that performparticular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Theinvention may also be practiced in distributed computing environmentswhere tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linkedthrough a communications network. In a distributed computingenvironment, program modules may be located in both local and remotecomputer storage media including memory storage devices.

With reference to FIG. 1, an illustrative system for implementing theinvention includes a general purpose computing device in the form of acomputer 110. Components of computer 110 may include, but are notlimited to, a processing unit 120, a system memory 130, and a system bus121 that couples various system components including the system memory130 to the processing unit 120. The system bus 121 may be any of severaltypes of bus structures including a memory bus or memory controller, aperipheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety of busarchitectures. By way of example, and not limitation, such architecturesinclude Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, Micro ChannelArchitecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, Video ElectronicsStandards Association (VESA) local bus, Advanced Graphics Port (AGP)bus, and Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus also known asMezzanine bus.

Computer 110 typically includes a variety of computer readable media.Computer readable media can be any available media that can be accessedby computer 110 and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media,removable and non-removable media. By way of example, and notlimitation, computer readable media may comprise computer storage mediaand communication media. Computer storage media includes volatile andnonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any methodor technology for storage of information such as computer readableinstructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Computerstorage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flashmemory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, DVD or other optical diskstorage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage orother magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used tostore the desired information and which can accessed by computer 110.Communication media typically embodies computer readable instructions,data structures, program modules or other data in a modulated datasignal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and includesany information delivery media. The term “modulated data signal” means asignal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed insuch a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example,and not limitation, communication media includes wired media such as awired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such asacoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media. Combinations of the anyof the above should also be included within the scope of computerreadable media.

The system memory 130 includes computer storage media in the form ofvolatile and/or nonvolatile memory such as read only memory (ROM) 131and random access memory (RAM) 132. A basic input/output system 133(BIOS), containing the basic routines that help to transfer informationbetween elements within computer 110, such as during start-up, istypically stored in ROM 131. RAM 132 typically contains data and/orprogram modules that are immediately accessible to and/or presentlybeing operated on by processing unit 120. By way of example, and notlimitation, FIG. 1 illustrates operating system 134, applicationprograms 135, other program modules 136, and program data 137.

The computer 110 may also include other removable/non-removable,volatile/nonvolatile computer storage media. By way of example only,FIG. 1 illustrates a hard disk drive 141 that reads from or writes tonon-removable, nonvolatile magnetic media, a magnetic disk drive 151that reads from or writes to a removable, nonvolatile magnetic disk 152,and an optical disk drive 155 that reads from or writes to a removable,nonvolatile optical disk 156 such as a CD ROM or other optical media.Other removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile computer storagemedia that can be used in the exemplary operating environment include,but are not limited to, magnetic tape cassettes, flash memory cards,DVD, digital video tape, solid state RAM, solid state ROM, and the like.The hard disk drive 141 is typically connected to the system bus 121through a non-removable memory interface such as interface 140, andmagnetic disk drive 151 and optical disk drive 155 are typicallyconnected to the system bus 121 by a removable memory interface, such asinterface 150.

The drives and their associated computer storage media discussed aboveand illustrated in FIG. 1, provide storage of computer readableinstructions, data structures, program modules and other data for thecomputer 110. In FIG. 1, for example, hard disk drive 141 is illustratedas storing operating system 144, application programs 145, other programmodules 146, and program data 147. Note that these components can eitherbe the same as or different from operating system 134, applicationprograms 135, other program modules 136, and program data 137. Operatingsystem 144, application programs 145, other program modules 146, andprogram data 147 are given different numbers here to illustrate that, ata minimum, they are different copies. A user may enter commands andinformation into the computer 110 through input devices such as akeyboard 162 and pointing device 161, commonly referred to as a mouse,trackball or touch pad. Other input devices (not shown) may include amicrophone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, or the like.These and other input devices are often connected to the processing unit120 through a user input interface 160 that is coupled to the systembus, but may be connected by other interface and bus structures, such asa parallel port, game port, universal serial bus (USB), or IEEE 1394serial bus (FireWire). At least one monitor 184 or other type of displaydevice may also be connected to the system bus 121 via an interface,such as a video adapter 183. The video adapter 183 may support advanced3D graphics capabilities, in addition to having its own specializedprocessor and memory. Computer 110 may also include a digitizer 185 toallow a user to provide input using a stylus input device 186. Inaddition to the monitor, computers may also include other peripheraloutput devices such as speakers 189 and printer 188, which may beconnected through an output peripheral interface 187.

The computer 110 may operate in a networked environment using logicalconnections to one or more remote computers, such as a remote computer180. The remote computer 180 may be a personal computer, a server, arouter, a network PC, a peer device or other common network node, andtypically includes many or all of the elements described above relativeto the computer 110, although only a memory storage device 181 has beenillustrated in FIG. 1. The logical connections depicted in FIG. 1include a local area network (LAN) 171 and a wide area network (WAN)173, but may also include other networks. Such networking environmentsare commonplace in offices, enterprise-wide computer networks, intranetsand the Internet.

When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer 110 may beconnected to the LAN 171 through a network interface or adapter 170.When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer 110 may includea modem 172 or other means for establishing communications over the WAN173, such as the Internet. The modem 172, which may be internal orexternal, may be connected to the system bus 121 via the user inputinterface 160, or other appropriate mechanism. In a networkedenvironment, program modules depicted relative to the computer 110, orportions thereof, may be stored in the remote memory storage device. Byway of example, and not limitation, FIG. 1 illustrates remoteapplication programs 182 as residing on memory device 181. It will beappreciated that the network connections shown are exemplary and othermeans of establishing a communications link between the computers may beused.

One or more aspects of the invention may be embodied incomputer-executable instructions, such as in one or more programmodules, executed by one or more computers or other devices. Generally,program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, datastructures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particularabstract data types when executed by a processor in a computer or otherdevice. The computer executable instructions may be stored on a computerreadable medium such as a hard disk, optical disk, removable storagemedia, solid state memory, RAM, etc. As will be appreciated by one ofskill in the art, the functionality of the program modules may becombined or distributed as desired in various embodiments. In addition,the functionality may be embodied in whole or in part in firmware orhardware equivalents such as integrated circuits, field programmablegate arrays (FPGA), and the like.

Illustrative Aspects

Aspects of a list creation system described herein may be particularlyuseful as a user creates a list of selectable elements or items, e.g.,photographs, songs, etc., to include in a list, album, playlist, or thelike. Aspects described herein are not limited to such uses, however,and those of skill in the art will appreciate that various aspects andembodiments described herein will have other uses as well. While variousaspects are described with respect to user interfaces, those of skill inthe art will appreciate that the user interfaces described hereinoperate under the control of a computer or data processing system suchas is described with respect to FIG. 1 or as is otherwise known in theart.

FIG. 2 illustrates a sample user interface workflow in which one or moreaspects may be included. In FIG. 2, user interface 201 may be a welcomeor homepage screen for accomplishing a task, such as making a photoalbum or music playlist to share with others, or simply for the user'sown organization of his or her media. The task referred to herein willbe described based on the creation of a list of user-selectable elementsor data items. Upon initiation of the creation of a list, user interface203 allows a user to pick a folder or other storage location orcontainer in which to select individual items for inclusion in the list.An illustrative example of a user interface 203 is illustrated in FIG.3. UI 203 may display folders according to predetermined criteria, e.g.,only folders that contain one or more individual elements (e.g., one ormore digital photos for an album; one or more songs for a playlist)directly in them. If more folders exist than there is space available,the folders may be selected based on a Date Created property of thefolder and/or an item in the folder, and the most recent n folders(e.g., 8) may be displayed, optionally sorted based on the Date Createdproperty, alphabetically, etc. If a user hovers the cursor/pointer overa folder, the user interface may display a tooltip, e.g., indicating“Make and album with this folder; #of photos: _(——————); Total Size:_(——————).”

From user interface 203, if the user selects a folder storing individualmedia items, e.g., any of folders 301-313, then album editing userinterface 205 (FIG. 2) allows the user to perform detailed editing ofthe items in the list, their arrangement, etc. However, if from userinterface 203 the user selects to browse all pictures 315 (FIG. 3), orselects an option to “Make a list by selecting the photos and foldersyourself” (or equivalent) then the list creation system may display userinterface 207 (FIG. 2), through which a user can select which items toinclude and/or exclude from the list being created/edited by the user.An illustrative example of a user interface 207 is illustrated in FIG.4.

FIG. 4 illustrates the primary user interface 207 through which a usercreates/edits the contents of a list. FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 illustratealternative aesthetic appearances of user interface 207, and need not bedescribed separately herein. User interface 207 may include a selectionpane 401 and a list pane 403 (also known as a basket control). Selectionpane 401 acts as a navigation pane to locate items to include in list405. List pane 403 displays elements presently included in list 405. Thesize of the list pane 403 may grow or shrink vertically (describedbelow) in response to resizing of the window, and might prohibithorizontal resizing except to accommodate the current size of displayedthumbnail images.

In FIG. 4 list pane 403 displays element 407, presently the only elementin list 405. Selection pane 401 may display storage locations(containers) to which a user can navigate to locate additional items,and may also display individual (discrete) items for selection by theuser to include in the list 405. For example, in FIG. 4, selection pane401 presently displays storage location (container) items 409, 411, 413,and 415, which are selectable by the user for navigation to the selectedstorage location. Storage locations (containers) may include folders,virtual folders, autolists, previously created lists, directories,storage volumes, queries, and the like. Selection pane 401 furtherdisplays discrete items 417-447, which are selectable by the user toinclude/exclude from the list 405. A user may interact with scroll bar449 to view additional items in the present storage location, as isknown in the art. As illustrated in FIG. 4, individual item 423 ispresently included in list 405, illustrated by list element 407 in listpane 403.

User interface 207 may further include additional interactive elementsthrough which a user can manipulate the list 405 or user interface 207.For example, a user can select up navigation button 451 to navigate upto a hierarchically higher storage location, and the user can selectAdd-All button 453 to add all selectable individual items in selectionpane 401 for inclusion in the list 405. A similar Remove-All button mayalso be provided (not shown). The user may also interact with viewslider 455 to change the size of thumbnail images displayed in theselection pane 401 and/or list pane 403.

According to an illustrative aspect, user interface 207 may react orrespond to single-click user inputs. The concept of single-click versusdouble-click, generally, is known in the art and need not be discussedat length herein. However, the use of single-click for selection andnavigation has not been used due to heretofore perceived difficulties increating such a single-click list selection user interface. Thedifficulties arise from user confusion between selection versusactivation of an item. There is a perceived tension between a userselecting an item, thereby making it the recipient of future actions,versus activating an item to carry out some task (e.g., run, delete,copy, move, etc.). In response to this perceived tension, user interfacedesigners use a model that allows for flexibility in actions, therebyavoiding a default single-click action, resulting in a double-clickinterface that allows a variety of actions with a minimum of user work.

Thus, in order to add an item to the list 405, the user need only selectan individual item once, instead of double-clicking as is known in theart. This results in a user interface driven by a current usagescenario, where the main user process (i.e., selecting items, in thisexample) requires the least amount of work (i.e., the fewest mouseclicks), even if other processes might require more work than with adouble-click user interface (e.g., because the user must navigatefarther to accomplish an action). For example, to add item 423 (407) tothe list 405, the user clicks element 423 once. As a result, element 407is displayed in list 405, and the user interface 207 displays a firsthighlight 459 around element 423. Highlight 459 may be displayed aroundany element already included in list 405. For example, as shown in FIG.4, element 423 is highlighted to represent inclusion in list 405.Similarly, a folder might be highlighted to indicate that one or moreelements stored in or beneath that folder are included in the list.Further, the highlighting around a folder might vary, depending onwhether all the items in or beneath the folder are in the list (darkerhighlight), or whether only one or more but not all of the items in orbeneath the folder are in the list (lighter highlight). The user mayalso click-and-drag items into list pane 403, or right-click an item andselect “Add to list” or “Add to basket” from a corresponding contextmenu. The user may similarly remove items from the list as well.

The list selection system thus performs the most-likely task when asingle-click selection action occurs. Different actions may result fromsingle-clicking different types of items. That is, when an individualselectable item is single-clicked, the item is either added or removedfrom the list. When a storage location item is single-clicked, the userinterface navigates to that storage location. Thus, the user saves timeby not having to double click items, and users with poorer motor skillscan more easily navigate items and create a custom list of items. Inaddition, clicking on the same item may result in performing differentactions depending on a current state of the item. If a selectableindividual item is presently not in the list, selecting that itemresults in its addition to the list. If the same selectable individualitem is presented in the list, selecting that item results in itsremoval from the list. The single-click selection action is contextsensitive based on the item and/or its present state.

As displayed in FIG. 4, the user is presently hovering thecursor/pointer 457 over element 425, but has not yet selected element425 using a single-click input action. As the cursor is hovered over anelement, the user interface may display a second highlight 461indicating an element (individual or storage location) which has inputfocus. When an individual item has input focus, a single-click (oroptionally the Enter key, or some other selection key on the keyboard)by the user will result in the individual item being added to the list405. When a storage location item has input focus, a single-click (oroptionally the Enter key, or some other selection key on the keyboard)by the user will result in the user interface navigating the selectionpane 401 to the selected storage location. A user can remove an itemfrom the list 405 by either re-selecting the item in selection pane 401,or by selecting the item in list pane 403, using a single-clickselection action.

Because the user interface responds to single-click selection actions,users might not realize that they made a selection mistake until afterthe incorrect selection had been made. That is, in a double-click baseduser interface, a user can often single-click a selectable element toobtain a preview of a result of a corresponding double-click selectionaction. However, in a single-click user interface such as thatcontemplated herein, when a user single-clicks, the user-interfaceperforms the resultant action. Thus, according to an illustrativeaspect, in order to stave off mistakes, inadvertent actions, andincorrect selections, in addition to or instead of providing highlight461, the user interface may change the appearance of cursor/pointer 457based on an action that would result from the user performing asingle-click selection action while the cursor/pointer 457 is hoveringover a particular item having input focus.

For example, FIG. 4 illustrates cursor/pointer 457 hovering overselectable individual item 425, resulting in item 425 having inputfocus. The user single-clicking on item 425 will result in item 425being added to list 405. Thus, user interface 207 displayscursor/pointer 457 with a ‘+’ icon to indicate that, should the usersingle-click the hovered item, the single-click action will result inthe addition of that item 425 to the list 405. As the user moves thecursor/pointer 457 over another item, the appearance of thecursor/pointer 457 may change appropriately. For example, if the userhovers the cursor/pointer 457 over an item already in list 405, the userinterface may display the cursor/pointer 457 with a ‘−’ icon to indicatethat, should the user single-click the presently hovered item, thesingle-click action will result in the removal of that item from thelist. Such an indication is illustrated in FIG. 7. While thecursor/pointer is hovering over a storage location item, thecursor/pointer 457 might not include any secondary indication, or mightinclude yet a different secondary indication (not shown) to representnavigation to the hovered storage location.

Tooltips (i.e., short messages displayed by the cursor after apredetermined delay when the cursor is not moving) may also be used toindicate to the user the prospective result of a single-click selectionaction. For example, a tooltip similar to “Add Item” may be displayedshortly after the cursor appears with a ‘+’ icon. Likewise a tooltipsimilar to “Remove Item” may be displayed shortly after the cursorappears with a ‘−’ icon. The tooltip “Open Location” (or similar) may bedisplayed shortly after the cursor is hovered over a storage locationitem. Tooltips and/or alternative cursor appearances may be used inconjunction with each other or independently, as desired.

FIG. 8 illustrates a sample method which may be used to select one ormore items for inclusion in a list, according to various illustrativeaspects and embodiments described herein. In step 801, the userindicates the desire or intent to create a list of items, such asdigital photos or songs. For example, the user may select a “CreateAlbum” option from user interface 201 (FIG. 2). In step 803 the user mayselect a folder from which the list may be created (e.g., elements301-313 in FIG. 2), in which case the list is created having elementsfrom the selected storage location and the system launches an albumeditor in step 807 for the user to perform more detailed customizationof the list. Alternatively in step 803 the user may select an option tocreate a custom list, in which case the user interface displays UI 207(FIG. 4). In step 805 the user can select items for inclusion in thelist, or remove items from the list, using single-click user interface207, and then launch the album editor in step 807. Those of skill in theart will appreciate that steps may be combined or joined together, andthat one or more steps may be optional.

Those of skill in the art will further appreciate that modificationsand/or enhancements may be made without departing from the scope and/orspirit of the features described herein. For example, the user interfacemay provide a link to display already created lists from which items maybe chosen. The already created lists may be displayed separately orincluded as possible storage locations navigable by the user. Anotherpossible alternative is to indicate whether a user must perform asingle-click or double-click to accomplish an action or task usingdifferent cursor representations. For example, the finger pointerrepresentation in FIGS. 4 and 7 might indicate a single-click isrequired to perform a desired action, or that the user interface is in asingle-click mode of operation, whereas the arrow pointer representationin FIG. 6 might indicate a double-click is required to perform a desiredaction, or that the user interface is in a double-click mode ofoperation. The mode of operation might be a toggle setting configurableby the user via a control panel (not shown). Yet another possiblealternative is to include instructions to the user in each userinterface where the user performs a single-click to perform a desiredaction. For example, in the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 5-7, eachuser interface includes the instructional text “Click items to add themto your list.” Such instructional text, or alternative instructionaltext, might be included on any user interface using single-click inputs.

In addition, various aspects of the list selection user interfacedescribed herein may be used as or in conjunction with a common filedialog box of an application program, operating system, or other dataprocessing system. That is, upon receiving a request for a common filedialog, the system may launch a list selection user interface such as orsimilar to that described herein, where a user can select one or morefiles as input to the application program. When the user has selectedone or more desired files, the user can provide input that the listcontents are acceptable (e.g., selecting an “Open” or “Finished”button), and the common file dialog passes an indication of the listcontents to the application program. The indication of the list contentsmay include, for example, links or shortcuts to each item in the list,or may include a copy of each item in the list.

The present invention includes any novel feature or combination offeatures disclosed herein either explicitly or any generalizationthereof. While the invention has been described with respect to specificexamples including presently preferred modes of carrying out theinvention, those skilled in the art will appreciate that there arenumerous variations and permutations of the above described systems andtechniques. Thus, the spirit and scope of the invention should beconstrued broadly as set forth in the appended claims.

We claim:
 1. A computing device comprising: a touch surface forreceiving an input focus for a selectable container or a selectableindividual item rendered on a display; wherein the display depicts oneor more modifications to a rendering of the input focus on the displayafter the input focus remains above a region of the touch surfacecorresponding to the selectable container or the selectable individualitem without engaging the region of the touch surface, wherein amodification of the rendering of the input focus provides a visualrepresentation of a next action that would be applied to the selectablecontainer or the selectable individual item in response to a subsequentsingle-touch selection action of at least a portion of the region of thetouch surface corresponding to the selectable container or theselectable individual item, wherein for the selectable container, themodification of the rendering of the input focus indicates the nextaction comprises navigating to a storage location corresponding to theselectable container, and wherein for the selectable individual item,the modification of the rendering of the input focus indicates the nextaction comprises including the selectable individual item in a list. 2.The computing device of claim 1, wherein the touch surface renders onthe display a selection pane for displaying selectable individual itemsor selectable containers and a list pane for displaying list contentscomprising selectable individual items included within the list.
 3. Thecomputing device of claim 2, wherein a status of the selectableindividual item with respect to inclusion in the list is toggled inresponse to a single-touch selection action of the region of the touchsurface corresponding to the selectable individual item.
 4. Thecomputing device of claim 3, wherein a graphical indication is displayedof the status of the selectable individual item when the selectableindividual item is in the list.
 5. The computing device of claim 4,wherein the graphical indication comprises highlighting the selectableindividual item in the selection pane.
 6. The computing device of claim1, wherein each selectable individual item comprises a digital image,and the list is a virtual photo album.
 7. The computing device of claim1, wherein each selectable individual item comprises an audio file, andthe list is a playlist.
 8. The computing device of claim 2, wherein eachselectable individual item is selectable by an application program,wherein rendering the selectable individual item on the display isinitiated as a result of the application program requesting a commonfile dialog, and wherein upon receiving user input indicating the listcontents are accepted, sending the list contents to the applicationprogram as an output of the common file dialog.
 9. The computing deviceof claim 1, wherein a status of the selectable individual item withrespect to inclusion in the list is toggled upon receiving user inputselecting a context menu item from a context menu corresponding to theselectable individual item.
 10. The computing device of claim 1, whereinthe selectable container comprises a virtual folder defined by auser-specified query.
 11. The computing device of claim 2, wherein agraphical indication is displayed of a status of the selectablecontainer when at least one other selectable individual item storedbeneath the selectable container item is in the list.
 12. One or morecomputer readable media storing computer executable instructions forproviding a user interface allowing a user to select items withincontents of a list, said user interface comprising: a pointer controlledby a user-input device, said pointer for pointing to, hovering over, andselecting, any of a plurality of items, the plurality of itemscomprising at least one container item and at least one discrete item,wherein upon the user hovering the pointer over at least a portion ofone of the plurality of items, the user interface alters an appearanceof the pointer to indicate a next action that would be applied to theitem in response to the user subsequently single-clicking the pointer,wherein for a container item, the altered appearance of the pointerindicates the next action comprises navigating to a storage locationcorresponding to the container item, and wherein for a discrete item,the altered appearance of the pointer indicates the next actioncomprises including the discrete item in the list; wherein upon the usersingle-clicking the pointer on any container item, the user interfacenavigates to the storage location corresponding to the container itemand displays a plurality of items included in the container item, andwherein upon the user single-clicking the pointer on any discrete item,the user interface includes the single-clicked discrete item in thelist.
 13. The computer readable media of claim 12, wherein upon the userpointing the pointer at a first discrete item, the user interface altersthe appearance of the pointer to indicate an inclusion status of thefirst discrete item with respect to the list.
 14. The computer readablemedia of claim 12, said user interface further comprising an itemselection pane displaying a plurality of items, wherein the itemselection pane further displays a graphical indication corresponding toany items included in the list.
 15. The computer readable media of claim14, wherein the graphical indication comprises highlighting the anyitems included in the list.
 16. The computer readable media of claim 12,wherein each discrete item comprises a digital image, and wherein thelist is a virtual photo album.
 17. The computer readable media of claim12, wherein each discrete item comprises an audio file, and wherein thelist is a playlist.
 18. The computer readable media of claim 12, whereinthe user interface further comprises a user-selectable element toindicate that the list contents are accepted, wherein each discrete itemcomprises an item usable by an application program, and wherein thecomputer readable media further stores computer executable instructionsfor performing a method comprising: responsive to receiving a requestfrom the application program for a common file dialog, launching theuser interface; responsive to receiving user input selecting theuser-selectable element to indicate that the list contents are accepted,providing an indication of the list contents to the application program.19. The computer readable media of claim 18, wherein the indication ofthe list contents comprises a link to each item in the list.
 20. One ormore computer readable media storing computer executable instructionsfor providing a user interface allowing a user to select items withincontents of a list, said user interface comprising: a pointer controlledby a user-input device, said pointer for pointing to, hovering over, andselecting, any of a plurality of items, the plurality of itemscomprising at least one container item and at least one discrete item,wherein upon the user hovering the pointer over at least a portion ofone of the plurality of items for a preconfigured amount of time, theuser interface alters an appearance of the pointer to indicate a nextaction that would be applied to the item in response to the usersubsequently single-clicking the pointer, wherein for a container item,the altered appearance of the pointer indicates the next actioncomprises navigating to a storage location corresponding to thecontainer item, and wherein for a discrete item, the altered appearanceof the pointer indicates the next action comprises including thediscrete item in the list; wherein upon the user single-clicking thepointer on any container item, the user interface navigates to thecontainer item and displays a plurality of items included in thecontainer item, and wherein upon the user single-clicking the pointer onany discrete item, the user interface includes the single-clickeddiscrete item in the list.